Saw these in Target for $19.99 for one numbered rookie autograph and decided to pick up a pair. The package said "Look for the following: Retail Exclusive Versions numbered to 10" - wouldn't that be nice. Picking up the first two after confirming that they had the original unbroken wrapper and had something inside (unlike every box of the R&S Longevity there which were all emptied by thieves who left the box) - really, this shows how little Target really pays attention - the cards are right next to the register and they have cameras everywhere yet half of their boxes wind up opened and looted. So buying boxes at the local retail stores here is always a challenge if you don't get there the first day. Really, the theft of cards from retail stores is reaching epidemic levels in this area - it used to be just the Wal-Marts where half of the packages showed obvious signs of theft - now it is also the Targets. To have completely empty boxes on the shelf for sale shows that Target is not doing a very good job at stoping thefts (and i've observed multiple packsearchers there to) One box did have some visible damage on the bottom, but you could hear something move inside and the original wrapper was intact, so got it anyway. Figured it was just damaged in shipping and the card should be all right because it was a huge package for just holding one card.

Was it a good move?

And this is where not having a scanner (or a computer that has a functioning port to insert memory cards from a camera) really hurts. Because pictures speak much more than words in showing that the answer was a resounding YES!

First box - at least the first that I opened, maybe it was the second on the shelf. This was the undamaged box:

Lavonte David, Tampa Bay 6/50. A second round pick as a linebacker from Nebraska - a starter from day one. Over 100 tackles on the year and just won Defensive Rookie of the Month for December. A pretty good pull as a of 50 of one of the better defensive rookies. Now, i suppose in this type of pack the question is would you pay $20 for that card if you saw it in a LCS? This is really the question for this type of pack - defensive players tend to be worth less and Tampa isn't the most popular team in the league, but Nebraska is a major and highly popular program and David just picked up defensive rookie of the month. These cards also look awesome. From what i've seen, /50 is a relatively low numbered card for this set - it seems like a good pick up for $20. Was happy with it and its not for trade or sale.

The second box - the one with some outside damage:

Opened the wrapper on the back and saw the words "Personally signed by Andrew Luck" and was happy.

Then turned it over and saw 8/10 on the front and noted that despite the damage to the package the card was fine and was very happy.

Not only because i got the absolute best card to get from a retail box, but because my buying that box it kept the thieves and packsearches who keep hitting the Targets around here from getting an absolute monster of a retail pull.

And without question, i'd pay $20 for a cool looking Andrew Luck autograph card numbered to 10. Or even $40 which means that the Levonte David to 50 was effectively free. And a nice card it is to.

And i'm going to keep it, because Andrew Luck shows every sign of making anyone who traded or sold one of his rookie autos regret it in 10 years.

Fun fact: i have now pulled autograph cards of 2 of the past three number one NFL draft picks from the same Target store - in 2010, i got a Sam Bradford auto out of a Topps Magic Football blaster. i also got a Julio Jones auto to 10 and a 1/1 of Ryan Williams from R&S Longevity last year. But the odds that will happen next year are minimal because of the epidemic of retail theft which has hit this area - it used to be that you could trust blasters as being safe, but not anymore.

That's an awesome hit. I too have started noticing more blasters and even regular packs not just being searched but being completely opened. I went to a Target near me recently and noticed all of the 2012 Topps Chrome football packs were opened with a slit (presumably to check for autographs and superfractors, since they can't be found by just feeling the packs). As much as I used to hate when KMart had all their cards locked up and you had to get the manager to open the case to get a pack (that was back in the early 90s when 1989 Upper Deck and 1990 Leaf started the trend of packs selling for more than $1 each), nowadays I would rather see that come back. As I can't imagine a pack searcher blatantly searching or opening product with the manager standing there.

I work at a Target store in Washington state and the most frustrating thing for me is that my supervisors won't allow me to say anything to pack searchers. but that doesn't stop me from letting them know I'm watching. I think what happens in a lot of stores is they are so busy they don't have time to watch them.

(12-03-2012 11:54 AM)djohn Wrote: That's an awesome hit. I too have started noticing more blasters and even regular packs not just being searched but being completely opened. I went to a Target near me recently and noticed all of the 2012 Topps Chrome football packs were opened with a slit (presumably to check for autographs and superfractors, since they can't be found by just feeling the packs). As much as I used to hate when KMart had all their cards locked up and you had to get the manager to open the case to get a pack (that was back in the early 90s when 1989 Upper Deck and 1990 Leaf started the trend of packs selling for more than $1 each), nowadays I would rather see that come back. As I can't imagine a pack searcher blatantly searching or opening product with the manager standing there.

The problem is that even having the packs right next to the register and in the stores around here right in front of the little cafe doesn't seem to help. i have been to three different Targets in this area and noticed that in every single one of them, every R&S Longevity Box was totally empty. Many of the blasters had the wrappers removed.

They have cameras right on there and people still are able to take products.

If my LCS carried Press Pass and Hit products, there is a good chance i wouldn't buy any cards at all from retail (other than maybe buying a pack or two as a sample to see if i like the card design to decide whether to buy a hobby box) - if i want to get a product and have the available funds, i'll pay the extra price to buy a box from my LCS. Then i know i am getting what i am paying for - plus, i'm also supporting local business.

(12-03-2012 12:14 PM)chrisjoy Wrote: I work at a Target store in Washington state and the most frustrating thing for me is that my supervisors won't allow me to say anything to pack searchers. but that doesn't stop me from letting them know I'm watching. I think what happens in a lot of stores is they are so busy they don't have time to watch them.

The sad part is that i have a feeling that as long as they get paid, they don't care. If some packsearcher was damaging packs, chances are that the later person who buys them will not complain - and even if they did, they may not be able to get their money back. i know i've bought discounted blasters where there were only about 5 cards left in them because a fraud artist took them all.

However, it is clear that they are not getting paid - when there are three empty boxes of R&S Longevity sitting there, it is clear that someone simply stole them since they are not marked for individual sell. Maybe the rise in outright theft will convince Target and Wal-Mart to monitor their cards more closely. i'm just glad that there is a good local card shop nearby to buy things - but as i mentioned, my LCS doesn't carry Press Pass or SAGE products so for me to get them i have to buy retail since i lack the patience to wait for something in the mail.

I feel you guys, but you can't really blame the LCS for not carrying Press Pass or SAGE do to the many of us on these boards who absolutely dread getting a Press Pass or SAGE box and not getting the year's top rookie prospect (2010 - Bradford, Tebow, 2011 - Newton, 2012 - Luck or RGIII). I guess you have to pick your battles!

Funny thing about this. I live in Washington and know of a guy who does all of the pack searching and marks the boxes a certain way to know he's been there.

I don't agree with pack searching and frankly don't care about it, but it is sad when folks come to buy a few packs of cards and can't get anything because of that.

Only reason why when my kids ask to get a few packs of cards I normally will get the from the LCS (gotten more hits from LCS than Target it seems). Only problem is that the LCS doesn't sell many packs of single cards, and thier selection is limited. I'm stuck getting blaster boxes or hanging rack packs to ensure they are good packs.

I guess I'm lucky enough to not have that big of an issue with blaster boxes being cut open and stolen and such, at least not that bad at the local stores I go to.

I'm not a huge Press Pass fan, but may try a blaster box to see what I think of them.

(12-03-2012 12:53 PM)usafshelland Wrote: I feel you guys, but you can't really blame the LCS for not carrying Press Pass or SAGE do to the many of us on these boards who absolutely dread getting a Press Pass or SAGE box and not getting the year's top rookie prospect (2010 - Bradford, Tebow, 2011 - Newton, 2012 - Luck or RGIII). I guess you have to pick your battles!

Great luck though with the luck...

i don't blame the LCS at all - its his business and he can sell whatever he wants. i've talked to him about Press Pass and he isn't a fan of their products so he won't stock them.

i happen to like Press Pass in that they generally have good clean deisgns with plenty of room for an on-card autographs - but to each their own. i can see that it can be pretty brutal hitwise since i've picked up several of their auto cards from the 2 for $5 bin.

i figure with SAGE Hit for $40 you get four autos and what should be a full set from blasters and even if you never really seem to get anything good from them i can't resist buying them when they show up discounted - at least if the original wrapping is in place because they would be vulernable to theft of the auto cards. You really never get anything good from them (best thing i've ever pulled from one was a Jason Pierre Paul numbered to 250) but i still like them for some reason. Probably because it is one of the few retail where you feel like you are actually getting something. Plus, it feels better to get two scrub autos having spent $20 than two scrub autos having spent $100 like so many hobby boxes are these days.

(12-04-2012 12:42 PM)gjhobbs Wrote: Funny thing about this. I live in Washington and know of a guy who does all of the pack searching and marks the boxes a certain way to know he's been there.

I don't agree with pack searching and frankly don't care about it, but it is sad when folks come to buy a few packs of cards and can't get anything because of that.

Only reason why when my kids ask to get a few packs of cards I normally will get the from the LCS (gotten more hits from LCS than Target it seems). Only problem is that the LCS doesn't sell many packs of single cards, and thier selection is limited. I'm stuck getting blaster boxes or hanging rack packs to ensure they are good packs.

I guess I'm lucky enough to not have that big of an issue with blaster boxes being cut open and stolen and such, at least not that bad at the local stores I go to.

I'm not a huge Press Pass fan, but may try a blaster box to see what I think of them.

Cheaper cards maybe, but some may still yield some good hits..

Since i'm not really a fan of "relic" cards and a big fan of autograph cards, i simply do not understand pack searching. You are lookng for a $2 memorabilia card when a $100 autograph may not show up. People even pack search in products where the hits are autograph cards.

However, some of the pack searchers do damage cards and that is not cool. It also can keep a kid from finding a hit - and while i'm of the opinion that chopping up a game used uniform is bad and the rookie premiere pointless, some of the cards are still pretty cool looking and i remember what it was like to pull a Cal Ripkin, Jr. card, Just base cards back then - this was 1982 to 1988 for the most part.